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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

im trying to install a few things my friend gave me for linux but the problem is theyre in a tar format that i believe is in a source code format so it needs to be compiled. one is a tar.gz and one is tar.bz2

im running Fedora core 4 on a i686. the specific programs are
1. Bochs-20051115.tar.gz
2. Plex86-20021117.tar.bz2
(they're for wine of course)
and btw my linux pc is not hooked up to the internet so i cant run any auto-downloaders etc.

try not to use confusing words, but if you do and it still works i wont mind

Originally posted by sickley not that this is a relevant subject....
i guess im the only one who finds this to be a slight bit of a hassle.
guess i need to buy some linux books :study:
:newbie:

Do you mean compiling programs from source is a bit of a hassle?

If so, consider the options you had in Winders. You might not have
installed and repaired operating systems as some of us have done,
which is quite different from buying a box with Winders pre-installed.

Linux is the kernel, which is the basis for an open source operating
system which gives you configurability, customization, and total
control.

Winders gives you Bill Gates piece of junk operating system, and
some companies software designed to work with it. You can't
change a stinking thing about them, and have to pay them to get
them to fix their broken software. Of course, they always have more
errors with the new version you paid for.

Get Linux ... learn some stuff ... get free!

You want to learn what a real hassle is? Start building and
repairing Winders computers. Picking out the hardware, assembling
the parts, installing the software, maintaining the system for people
who don't know anything except click click click -- who for the most
part use their index finger to finger a mouse rather than their brain
to think. That's hassles, mate!

and yes i have i used to have windows 98 where sometimes the only way to solve a problem was to reinstall the whole O.S. in which case you normally need to start from fresh. i've also had to reinstall winxp 3 times in a row because of bad ram. i also understand the issues of M.S. registry and other such things (including the fact its NOT open source), that is the reason i am trying to make the switch to linux. what i was saying is that it would probably be easier for me if i had books to learn off of.

I'm not an expert at computers, but compared to the people who buy the boxed computers in retail stores I'm almost a god. i understand enough that i was willing to switch to a new O.S. that i knew would be difficult to learn.

You just hang in there. Search for books to use with FC4. I don't even know anything
about it, except that when the RedHat company decided it couldn't make it in the
desktop market, it abandoned RedHat after version 9.0 and, iirc, Fedora Core is just
a testing distro they give you free that eventually they use for Enterprise customers.

yeah, im might end up switching to kill bill for a while. especially since when they made FC4 they ditched the old libraries (rightfully so), making it more difficult to run certain programs that havent yet adapted to the new libraries. this is just a project since im using this computer as a temporary media server. its not even server hardware. the mobo is a Mini ITX (the smallest ff except the new mac's and the new Nano Itx) which is meant for Media center computers, which is what i intend to move to enventually.